The other day we brought word about Bluebird, a new joint initiative between American Express and Walmart. Bluebird lets you make direct deposits, pay bills online, deposit checks with your iPhone or Android device, set up Sub-Accounts, and more.

As I noted in that first post, we were invited to open an account and try out the service. This is a sponsored series of posts, but the observations and experiences I’ll be documenting in the coming weeks are mine and mine alone.

In this post I want to look at some of Bluebird’s features. Then, on Friday, we’ll actually start using the service.

Thanks to its ability to create and use Sub-Accounts, Bluebird is a family affair.

Sub-Accounts are a great way to give everyone in the household access to the account while still maintaining control of spending. Best of all, everything can be done from your computer, smartphone or tablet. Other Bluebird Account features include:

Purchase Protection: Can provide coverage if an eligible purchase made with your Card is accidentally damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase.

Fraud Protection: If your Card is lost or stolen, you won’t be responsible for fraudulent Card charges.

Global Assist Services: Medical, legal, and financial assistance when you’re more than 100 miles from home.

Roadside Assistance: Just call us if you have emergency car trouble and we’ll send help.

Entertainment Access: You’ll get special savings and advance tickets to some of the hottest events in music, sports, and theater.

24/7 access to award-winning American Express Customer Service.

Best of all, Bluebird has:

No annual fees

No monthly fees

No overdraft fees

No minimum balance fees

No Card replacement fees

No foreign exchange fees

In all, Bluebird looks to be the next evolutionary step in mobile banking. It takes all the features customers use, and brings them together in a platform that was built from the ground up with online banking and mobile devices in mind. You can learn more here on the Bluebird website. We’ll be back with the third installment of this series Friday, as we open an account and begin using the service.

Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”)Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him.

Comments

All sorts of warning bells are going off in my head. Also, $2 fee per withdrawal if you don’t have direct deposit? Reading all their material, it seems like their target audience is the sort that wouldn’t have direct deposit in the first place…

When a customer tries to use remote check deposit Amex holds the check for 6 business days and during that time runs extensive credit and background checks. The terms and conditions details that. At that point if they don’t like what they see they will freeze your account and your funds.

The web is already filled with bad reviews about the horrible customer service and accounts being frozen for no reason.